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Canberra
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(must-sees for the 5-days-tourist) I really liked the website for the Hotel Novotel Canberra it was clean, worked as it should do and more importantly as you expected it to but don't take my word for it have a look for yourself here http://www.accorhotels.com. The hotel itself was ok, in the middle of Canberra on Northbourne Avenue which is pretty much ground zero. The rooms were really good and the rate wasn't bad at $270 Aus per night for the double room, breakfast as in almost all other Australian hotels was extra at $25.00, but it was an all you can eat buffet. Canberra is rather small but that doesn't mean that it isn't something wonderful in a small package. It sits between immaculate ski slopes of the Brindabella National Park and wonderful the beaches of the east coast. Canberra seems more like Brussels but frankly without the history or fun. It is a capital city and administrative centre, very dry and not really very interesting and worse everything other than Museums and Parliament buildings was at least a 45 minute drive out of the city, I wouldn't bring children here for a week if I were you, the more unruly might rebel. For all of that if you are travelling as a couple or on your own then there is some fun to be had here and there.Day One
Canberra apparently is a centre for Science and Technology - hooray I hear you say! So we bought a "3 in fun" ticket (don't you just love the catchy name, and went of to have fun. The 3 in fun ticket costs a steep $22.50 AUS for a child and a more modest $28.00 AUS for an adult, when I saw the price I wondered, do they know that kids don't want to come here?So for $28.00 we do a day of fun from our 3 in fun ticket. We didn't go to Cockington Green as it was 45 minutes outside of Canberra and were quite annoyed that we had paid $28.00 AUS for what was technically now a '2 in fun ticket,' in fact we felt a more than a little miffed. So where did our 2 in fun ticket get us, Questacon and the Australian Institute of Sport - whoopee. They weren't bad but all in all on our first day here the impression wasn't that good.
Day two
Today after some research something you should always do before you travel, we found out that the unmissable and distant Cockington Green 'theme park' and I use the last two words with great caution - there is something called the trades description act in most countries to keep descriptions accurate - was a sort of mini world place created twenty five years ago to bore people to death. Still we were on the crest of a wave we didn't go there har ha. We went instead to the Canberra Space Centre, they have a bit of Moon rock, a space movie and worst of all you can as they say see what a "well-dressed astronaut wears," dear me, can I contain my excitement? No! Actually it isn't that bad and good old NASA always make things interesting. Entry is free - well I wouldn't pay for it if I was charged - and you can learn all about the role that Australia plays in the exploration of space, there I said that without laughing. Having said all of that the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex visitor centre which is the longest named attraction I have ever been to(except for that station in Wales), is 35 kilometres outside of Canberra on Tourist Drive 5 as they call it.Personally I would think twice about visiting? If you want to have a click here.http://www.cdscc.nasa.gov. In the evening we decided to cheer ourselves up and went to Club Mombasa it was on one of those Aussie things to do sites and I remember reading - "Learn why everyone is talking about Club Mombasa," so we thought we would get an education - oh dear me, these people are so far back in the woods, yes the night we went there was a splash of hip hop here and a bit of Reggae there but this club reminded me of a place in downtown Scunthorpe before the war!
Have a look at the website and see if you agree http://www.clubmombasa.com.au, we didn't bother waiting to see how "late" the doors opened till, we had a few beers avoided a fight with someone old enough to me my dad and went back to the hotel wondering what people do to enjoy themselves in Canberra - go to Sydney I suppose!
Day three
Today we looked around the Old Parliament House and in between the not so old buildings of Canberra we dodged about shopping. There were one or two finds the first was the Captain Cook memorial fountain which shoots water 150 feet into the sky, well he could have been remembered by a Mannequin Pix so he got off rather light. The second discovery was a made near Capital Hill where the Parliament House and the rest of the government of Australia govern from and it was rather nice restaurant called Artespresso. The food is described as Modern Australian and is great, the atmosphere better still you can eat outside or in.The average price of a main course is $31.00 AUS and Artespresso is well worth the visit. We were looking forward to this evening and we weren't disappointed because at last something we found with a bit of interest and a sense of humour, we took The Weird Canberra Ghost and History Tour. Things got going at 7.00pm and we were treated to the gruesome, sinister, bizarre and terrifying side of Canberra. Now I don't wait to give too much away but you will be treated to a side of Canberra and its history that they don't put in the guide books - well until now that is. So if visiting a Canberra funeral parlour that was once a hot bed of espionage activity, or anembassy plagued by screams from the past is you cup of tea then this tour is for you. In terms of entertainment this tour is tops. My $64.00 AUS was very well spent, but remember this is not a tour for young ones, so do what Canberra does and forget them for a while. http://www.destinytours.com.au/canberra.htm
Day four
We got up late after a bit of a party with the funeral fun guys last night, what can I say it was the best entertainment yet, of course I doubt that anything we were told was actually true but who cares, do you question Dan Brown's truthfulness, no you just lap up crap like the Da Vinci Code. We went shopping as you do - it was ok especially when we ended up in Manuka and Kingston, they are about five minutes walk from each other and are small 1920's shopping districts, it is where Australian style lurks and is worth a laugh - sorry visit. We had lunch at Lots 33 in Kingston apparently in the evening it is a "hip place" apparently Kingston is Canberra's own Harlem - sorry I can't stop smiling when I remember that. In the evening Lot 33 turns into a nightclub but we didn't risk being in "Canberra's own Harlem," because the disappointment might have been too much to bear.Lunch was $45.00 AUS and not too shabby, can't find a website for Lot33 but it is on Kennedy Street Harlem - no sorry Kingston Canberra.
One of the bars we tried which was worth a mention was Bar 32 and better still it was just down the road from our hotel on Northbourne Avenue the music is mostly Indie with some Pop, Rock and Electro so really something for all tastes, drinks are beer which is a cheap as french fried potatoes and we stayed till late.
What was happening? Canberra was becoming a little interesting and a bit hip? Last night some fun and today a nice bar well I never.
Day five
We went down to Lake Burley Griffin and had a look at Blundells' Cottage, for no other reason than I used to work with the famous and I use that word advisedly poet Herbert Blunden, then I realised the spelling was different - opps. SBlundells'Cottage is an annoyingly quaint place devoid of 'don't touch" signs, you can touch everything more or less although the lady on the door didn't look as though she would play the game. Apparently in Blundells' Cottage you can see "The Story of Canberra" before the idea of the national capital was conceived, yep you're yawning too. Ok I loved the little house, it took all of two minutes to view the exhibits and I didn't feel like touching anything when I thought of all of the other people who had touched them. Admission: Adults - $7.00, Concessions/students - $5.00, Families - $15.00 though they didn't specify the size and so if you take your son or daughter on your own - pretend that you aren't together and you will get a $3.00 discount.You can find out more from people who care here - http://www.nationalcapital.gov.au/visiting/attractions/blundells_cottage.asp After all of that excitement we needed a drink - happily there are a few bars nearby, we walked up to Garema Place and had a few in Hippo a sort of up market drinkery. Beers was around average for Canberra which was nice, have a look for yourself here http://www.hippobar.com.au.
NATURE & GEOLOGY
This is Kangaroo country and they are often seen on the edges of the city of Canberra. Be careful if you encounter them they are mad, unpredictable and can do a lot of damage to you and your car.It is best not to swerve when you see a Kangaroo because a Kangaroo tends to see a car and bounce all over the road, oh and there is another reason not to swerve it is illegal to swerve when approaching a Kangaroo.
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